Sarah Nielsen

Sarah Nielsen is the Assistant Director of Advancement at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). She serves as the board liaison, oversees advancement events and is the Advancement Lead for several radio astronomy projects studying the sun and black holes, most notably the next generation Event Horizon Telescope Project, an expansion of the global collaboration that captured the first image of a black hole.

Previously, Sarah was the Donor Relations and Events Manager in the Advancement & External Affairs Office at SAO, where she planned and executed board and donor events at SAO telescope sites in Arizona, Hawaii, Chile and Greenland. Prior to joining the SAO team in 2017, Sarah served as the Director of Development and Alumnae Engagement at The Woodward School, an independent girls school which was founded by the cousin of President John Adams. She has over 20 years of experience working in the education, government and non-profit sectors. Previously, Sarah was one of 14 students in the country to be selected as a Finland-U.S. Senate Youth Exchange (FUSYE) Scholar. She holds a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Special Education from Texas A&M University and an M.A. in Expressive Arts Therapies and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.